Converting to windowless without welding...

[Defective 1,692]

I've been mulling over ditching the side windows in my van, but the whole idea of finding someone to weld up the holes and having the van out of action for a while does not interest me at all.

 

The other day on bookface i saw a pic of a white van where the owner had just cut out some stainless the right shape and screwed it in place.

 

I'm not a fan of exposed screws, but I was thinking of maybe the new bonding agents they stick modern cars together with.

 

What would be the pros and cons of going this way?

To be honest I'm only seeing pro's at the moment.

 

Easy to diy

No warped panels from welding

No paint damage, would just need the new panel painted

About 11ty times cheaper than paying it to be welded, filled and painted

 

What am I missing?

[deankxf 20,266]

i like the idea..
surprised there's not a full panel in fibreglass or plastic like the holden Gemini panel van came with(converted wagon)

[Defective 1,692]

i like the idea..

surprised there's not a full panel in fibreglass or plastic like the holden Gemini panel van came with(converted wagon)

That would be way too convenient haha

[GspecZL 979]

If its that simple I like the idea. I certainly can see how that modern panel bonding stuff could make it neat and very simple. 

[Panko 2,480]

Yeah that should work. Sika Flex will do the job you want. My brother, my dad and i all use it on various applications and always been successfull.

[steve mcqueen 1,796]

 Sika Flex will do the job you want. My brother, my dad and i all use it on various applications and always been successfull.

 

I was told by the smash repairer who made the bonnet on my Project Goldie that Sika flex shrinks back apon drying out 

and can cause warping of panels. The bonnet on Goldie was bonded together with some sort of glue but it wasn't Sika flex

for this very reason. I have no foggie do what the adhesive was called so more home work needed before gluing together.

I cant go back and ask em as the smash repair has changed hands but im sure if somebody rocked up to a 'prestige smash place' 

(somebody who repairs european cars, BMW, MERC etc, they glue a lot of these together now) they may give you the product name??

I was told its expensive stuff to.

Explore the sika flex range by all means, hey they might just have the product for the job, just want to relay what i was told is all.

Im all for this idea.   

[judgetread 757]

3M panel bonding adhesive

[blu xe 825]

3m, terason and wurth all do panel bonds and all of these would have better products suited to the job than sika flex. Haven't used sika in a looooong time but even back then they weren't exactly leading the way in adhesive technology.

[2redrovers 21,390]

Sika flex isn't a permanent fix for anything. It will eventually dry right through and shrink in the process. It's designed to bond lightweight items that need to move slightly, eg mouldings.

 

My personal choice would be Lord / Fusor adhesive. I've used fusor 112b panel bond to glue roof skins on cars with hail damage. Pretty sure I've also used the fusor 2098 crash durable adhesive. Similar stuff but cartridges use a normal style gun for application like silicone.

 

Both apply to bare metal best, so clean paint off the direct contact area then apply a bead of glue and clamp or screw panels together. Screws could be ground off and filled over. Rivets would also work. Prep and paint as normal.

[Defective 1,692]

All good info guys, thanks.

 

I not seeing any negatives in doing it this yet, think I'm convinced.

[2redrovers 21,390]

If you do it properly as per instructions, I know the fusor adhesive is as strong as welded joints and sometimes stronger than typically spot welded panels. There will be no negative impact for using panel bonding techniques. I'd probably glue the panel to the outside skin with about a 15-20 mm overlap. Once fully glued you could carefully shave the stepped edge down to enable it to feather into the rest of the panel with some filler and minimal ridge.

[2redrovers 21,390]

Oh and yes it is expensive. But it's quicker and relatively painless. I think if you're careful about it, you should be able to do a four window van with one tube. Glue would be easier to apply to the new panel while it's laying flat on a stand etc then put it in place and clamp. Wear latex type gloves and thoroughly clean the areas on all panels with wax n grease remover.

[blu xe 825]

If I was to have a crack at it i'd make the piece up 10-12 mm over size and run a flange tool around the edge of the piece and bring it in from the inside.

would sit pretty much flush with just a small edge to fill on the outside. Your chosen panel bond will probably ooze out and with a bog  applicator smooth it of to fill the gap. Whatever is left is sand and fill with normal filler. What might bite you is if there is a bit of shape in the quarter and it will want to sink a bit. The flanged edge might help or possible make it worse.

[2redrovers 21,390]

If you have the means to put the flange on the edge this would be great. Will give a flatter result at the end. Be aware there is quite a bit of shaping in that area, not just a flat bit of steel. Check the pics in my shop thread of when I made the filler for the green van. I tried to show how much curve is in them.

[Defective 1,692]

If you have the means to put the flange on the edge this would be great. Will give a flatter result at the end. Be aware there is quite a bit of shaping in that area, not just a flat bit of steel. Check the pics in my shop thread of when I made the filler for the green van. I tried to show how much curve is in them.

Il check that out, but I always get sidetracked in your thread haha. So much interesting stuff.

[blu xe 825]

Yeah i'd say there would definitely be more shape in that panel than meets the eye. English wheel anyone?

[Defective 1,692]

I put a straight edge on it, it's not that shaped. Seems to curve away just near the edges. 'Should' be ok lol.